Photo by Matt McGee on Flickr
Although people Latin American countries have long been thought of as soccer aficionados, Panama has long since been eliminated from World Cup contention and in recent memory has not amounted to much of a force. One reason why the hype of futbol never took off in Panama like it did in neighboring Colombia or Costa Rica is due to the constant overshadowing of baseball. As baseball playoffs heat up in the United States, Panamanians keeps a keen eye fixed on each game.
I found this odd when I first arrived in Panama, soccer cleats in tow and ready to jump in on pick-up futbol games. That’s not to say that pick-up games of soccer don’t exist; they absolutely do. One of the more pleasant sights when driving the countryside of Panama is seeing a group of 8 or 10 young men, most of them barefoot, playing the juego bonito, or beautiful game. But here in Panama, baseball is king.
On Panamanian sports networks every night during the regular season, a highlight reel runs, featuring all the Panamanians in Major League Baseball. Whatever they did that day: good, bad or indifferent. If Carlos Lee struck out four times, or Mariano Rivera gave up a game-winning chance in closing for the Yankees, these make the highlight reel before, say, Alex Rodriguez’s two-home-run game.
For a country of three million people, publicity doesn’t come often in world news, so it must be savored. In the 2008 Olympic Games, Panama won its first gold medal via Irving Saladino in the long jump. Another of their claims to fame was Roberto “Rock-Fist” Duran, a former heavyweight boxing champion. Without much provoking, any Panamanian will still remind you of the grandeur of these athletes and what they mean to the people of Panama.
In spite of the small population, Panama has a big heart for its sports heroes. As the World Series approaches and the showdown is beginning to look like it will be between the Phillies and the Yankees, all of Panama is content. With Mariano Rivera closing for the Yankees and Carlos Ruiz playing catcher for the Phillies, Panama will be torn but ultimately proud to have another World Series Champion represent them on the global stage.
TAGS: Culture History & Culture Panama Panama History & Culture
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